Summer Flight Timetable for Flights to Albania
(Version 5 Effective 05 March 2021)
ELBASAN
Where History Meets Nature!
Castle of Elbasan
Foreign travellers in the 1800s noted that cities like Elbasan no longer existed in Europe. Skampis, as this fortress-town was once called, was founded in 1466 by two strikingly different leaders: the Roman emperor Justinian and Sultan Mehmet the Second. The two-thousand-year-old Castle of Elbasan, a Roman construction built as early as the 3rd century B.C., once surrounded the entire city, which stretched over an area of approximately 10 hectares.
After it was nearly entirely destroyed during the wars of the 4th and 5th centuries, the castle walls were erected once more by Justinian in order to be used as a military shelter as well as to oversee the famous Via Egnatia, the main road which stretched across major cities of the Roman Empire. Later, during the Ottoman Empire, Mehmet the Second, intended to use this castle as the base of his military operations against Skanderbeg, the national Albanian hero who fought to gain Albania’s independence from the Ottoman Empire. Instead, the castle swiftly became the centre of Albanian nationalism.
The Castle of Elbasan had its most glorious period during the 17th century, enclosing within its walls more than two thousand houses and boasting a manufacturing industry of more than 900 shops of leather crafts including silk, as well as precious metals, such as silver, which were mostly exported abroad. Only after 100 years after the Ottoman invasion, the city saw its life begin to extend beyond the castle walls. Today, the “city” within the walls is called the Castle Neighbourhood, one of the very few in Albania that still contains many residences that continue harmoniously coexisting with the past.
From the original castle built in the 3rd century, only the southern gate remains but this place still contains many other monuments built throughout the following centuries. Each of the monuments within the fortress, such as the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church of St. Mary’s Assumption, the old school of the castle, the King’s Mosque and the women’s hamam, the Clock Tower or any house and alley within this castle, contains significant bits of this city’s fascinating history.
On the eastern side of the castle gates, stands the majestic Clock Tower, which still functions impeccably. Built in the late ‘800s, it was declared a monument of culture in 1963. In the Albanian cities of the late Middle Ages, public monuments and religious institutions were built in close proximity to one another, a phenomenon that did not exist in other cities of the Ottoman Empire. The centre of the castle neighbourhood hosts the Church of St. Mary’s Assumption as well as many homes of Islamic believers who regularly visit the King’s Mosque. At the time, Albanian cities introduced an unprecedented religious tolerance which still continues to this day.
The Castle of Elbasan also honours the prominent figures in the progress of Albanian language and culture such as Kostantin Kristoforidhi, who gave Albanians their first elementary school textbook in Albanian and the first Albanian translation of the Old Testament, as well as the founders of the Albanian Academy of Sciences. A walk through the rest of the castle reveals an astounding variation of beautiful architecture: Ottoman-style houses, typical of central Albania, Italian-style flats of the 19th and 20th centuries, and communist as well as post-communist era buildings.
Elbasan Ethnographic Museum
Located in the centre of the city, not far from the Castle of Elbasan, this museum is housed in a traditional two-story 18th century house that tells of the culture, folklore and lifestyle in this medieval city. The museum that recounts the story of Elbasan’s culture and lifestyle is housed inside one of the city’s most traditional houses. Located at the heart of Elbasan, this 200-year-old house and represents one of the most typical post-medieval Albanian houses.
The museum shows, in great detail, the culture and folklore of Middle Albania, the craftsmanship of the time, the everyday life of the city and its suburbs, and the main tools of the trade in Elbasan throughout the years. For both international and local visitors, the work of the artisans of felt, qeleshe (the white fez-like cap), and opinga (traditional leather shoes) as well as the saddlers, bell-makers, gunsmiths, carpenters, goldsmiths, and jewellers gives a wonderful overview of the region’s cultural trends and influences throughout the years.
Especially impressive are the primitive oil grinders and the tombstone of Mark Sabiti. The latter, ethnographers believe, shows the former location of Elbasan (Skampis). Each space in this two-story building served a specific function. The first (ground) floor was once used as storage of farm products, which provided the main sustenance for the family. In this floor, you will find, arranged in traditional Elbasan style and furniture, the interior corridor as well as the chambers of wool and metal works. The second floor was typically where the family resided.
This space now exposes how the men’s and women’s rooms looked centuries ago. A distinguishing element of this quaint two-story house is its large balcony, paved and framed by wood. In Albanian folk language, this specific structure is known as çardak. Once upon a time, during the summer months, this space was reserved for guests. At other times, it became the main gathering spot for the men of the house, a place where they would sit and hold discussions about events in the city and their family.
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Holta’s Canyon
Holta’s Canyon has remained fairly unexplored from local and foreign tourists alike. Due to the lack of infrastructure in the surrounding area, until very recently, it has been closing to impossible to get there. With the recent investment on all roads in the area, the journey there is a (brisk) breeze, making Holta’s untouched by tourism. Holta Canyon was created by the erosion of the river Holta. It extends 3 kilometres from the village of Bardhaj to Kabash, with surrounding valley slopes of 100-150 meters and with crystalline waters of depths of around 3 meters.
Karst caves created by limestone rocks, stalactites and stalagmites of rare beauty can be found there. Silence and echoes, lush greenery hanging from the slopes above you and beautiful blue waters caressing your feet and creating small waterfalls along the way. A bit further, thermal waters where you can relax for a moment of your journey. The end of the canyon culminates with a magnificent rock that recalls a mythical era, the mark of a modern Odyssey. Unlike the Odyssey, this journey is purely safe, peaceful and beautiful. Holta’s Canyon is here to remind us of another time, one when passionate explorers discovered new lands.
Shebenik-Jablanica National Park
Among Albania’s many natural parks, the Shebenik-Jablanica National Park, located near the city of Librazhd, remains relatively unknown. The main reason behind this obscurity is because entrance to the park was strictly forbidden during Communism. Its 34,000 hectares are all covered by untouched and absolutely gorgeous forests, meadows and blooming flowers. The many mountain ranges within the park include Shebenik Mountain, 2,253 m, the park’s namesake, Kallkan Mountain, 2,189 m, and Katrafil Peak, 1,760 m, among others.
Depending on their preference, visitors can partake in various organized hiking and climbing expeditions. Water sources of all kinds as well as 14 glacial and 3 artificial lakes only heighten the spectacular beauty of the park. An interesting tidbit about this park is that it hosts approximately 32% of the entire country’s flora. Recent paths, created by tourism experts, make the expansive area quite easy to explore. You will particularly enjoy exploring the hermit caves, scattered throughout the park. One cave of particular beauty, as well as artistic and historical value is that of Koshorishti. Inside it, you will have the rare opportunity to see old paintings with biblical motifs created in the span of many centuries.
Peqin Castle
The Peqin Castle is a castle in Peqin, Albania. In the Roman times the city was known by the name of Clodiana, an Illyrian-inhabited territory. The foundations of the castle are thought to date from the Roman period, the time of the construction of the Via Egnatia. Its walls at one point had a height of around 12 metres. The castle was later rebuilt and expanded during the Turkish occupation of Albania, at which time it was passed into the control of the Sipahi of the local fief, who added a palace and a harem. The last resident of the castle was Demir Pasha.
The 17th-century historian Evliya Çelebi mentioned the fortress in his writings: ...the walls of this castle reach about 12 m in height. Within resides the dizdar, along with 70 soldiers. There are five cannons in the castle, and ten small houses roofed with tiles. There is also a small mosque with no minaret. On the left side of the castle, connected to a wall, is a prayer chapel... The castle was equipped with tunnels which served as exits several km away from the city in difficult times.
Jablanica Mountain
Jablanica is a mountain range in Southern and Southeastern Europe, stretching north-south direction across the border of Albania and North Macedonia. The long mountain ridge is higher than 2,000 m for approximately 50 km, while the highest part, located in its very center, is Black Stone at 2,257 m high. Both countries have 50% of the mountain, Albania the west and North Macedonia the east.
Jablanica Mountain contains many large mountain lakes. Shebenik mountain is located just to the west of Jablanica and give name to the Shebenik-Jabllanice National Park. The closest towns to Jablanica are Librazhd in Albania and Struga in North Macedonia. The mountain range is one of the few places in the Balkans that hold the Balkan lynx, a subspecies of the Eurasian lynx. The total number of this vulnerable species is estimated at below 100 individuals.
